Page 12 of The Wives of Hawthorne Lane
“Right. A decorative crystal platter. We couldn’tpossiblyserve cheese on anything less.” He chuckles, tossing a thumb over his shoulder toward the house. “I’m sure we’ve got seven more just like it inside too.”
There’s a titter of laughter from their guests, but this time the most Georgina can muster is a polite smile.
“I’m just glad Mark will have someone to play with,” Hannah says graciously. “I’m a terrible golfer.”
Georgina reads something in Hannah’s gaze, something so close to pity that it causes tears to prick behind her eyes. “Excuse me while I go get the desserts ready to serve,” she says, turning away from the humiliating exchange—from Hannah’s knowing look, her husband’s subtle, triumphant smirk.
She walks quickly toward the house, her eyes cast down at the ground as she moves.
“I hope you made your amaretto cheesecake!” Colin calls after her. “That’llreallyimpress them!”
9
Hannah
Hawthorne Lane
“So, what did you think?” Hannah asks as she slides into bed next to Mark. He sets down his book, a hardcover spy novel with a splashy neon-green title, and looks at her over his reading glasses, which are still balanced on the end of his nose.
It’s not often that she feels their age difference, but in this moment she sees it. In the tiredness around his eyes, the lines that wrinkle the corners. It’s never bothered her, but when they first started dating, Mark had expressed some concerns about the twelve-year gap between them.
“I’m nearly forty,” he told her over drinks in an overcrowded Manhattan bar. Mark had chosen the location—some trendy pop-up with floral walls and scripted neon signs—but as he looked around at the crowd, Hannah was certain it wasn’t lost on him that he was the oldest person there. “Are you sure you’re okay with that? I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up.”
“Age is just a number. If you find a genuine connection with someone, why let something so trivial as that come between you?”
“Still, I wouldn’t want to hold you back from living your life.” He sipped slowly from his eighteen-dollar martini, a heaviness in his eyes as they drifted away from hers.
“Can I be honest with you?” Hannah asked, leaning toward him to be heard over the blaring music. She saw Mark wince, as if he were bracing himself for disappointment. “I hate this just as much as you do.”
He laughed then, a full hearty sound that came from deep in his belly. “I think I might just fall in love with you, Hannah.”
“About the party?” he asks now, pulling her from the memory.
“Well, yes. And the people.” It was the first time Mark had met their new neighbors, not that it showed. He blended in seamlessly, as if he’d lived here all his life. He talked about golf swings and country clubs without missing a beat. Hannah was a little bit envious of it, if she’s being honest.
“They all seemed nice,” Mark replies. “Very welcoming.”
“They were,” Hannah concurs. “For the most part. Didn’t you think that whole thing with Colin and Georgina was a bit off, though?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, how he brought up the fact that he makes all the money in their relationship. I’d imagine it was kind of embarrassing for her.”
“Did he really say that? I must have missed it.”
“Not in so many words, but he implied it. When he made that comment about Georgina spending money while he’s out of the house. It felt like he was putting her down.”
“Oh, that.” Mark scratches his chin. “I didn’t take it that way. And I’m not certain Georgina did either. She laughed about it, if I’m remembering correctly. Seemed like he meant it as a joke.”
“I guess…” Hannah takes off her wedding ring, sets it in the ceramic dish on her nightstand. “I didn’t think it was very funny, though.”
“I can see how you might not,” Mark replies.
Hannah doesn’t know if her husband can see the interaction from her perspective or if he’s saying that because his credit cards are currently in her wallet too. Hannah just started a new job in the children’s room at the Sterling Valley Library, but her income is nothing compared to Mark’s. She is acutely aware that their house and everything in it was bought with her new husband’s money.
“But,” Mark continues, “Georgina seemed fine with it, and I suppose there’s no need for us to worry about it if she’s not.” He takes off his glasses and folds them into their case. “I’m going to turn infor the night. Early day at the office tomorrow. Good night, my love.” Mark leans over and kisses Hannah chastely on the lips before rolling over, his back to her, and tucking the blanket around himself.
Mark might be right. Hannah could be reading too much into the situation. After all, no one else batted an eye at Colin’s comments, not even Georgina. She doesn’t know the first thing about Georgina’s marriage. Maybe Colin isn’t the type of man who would knock his wife down simply because she was getting too much attention.
